Friday, March 30, 2012

I love to enter online contests, especially ones held by blogs I am reading anyway! Artbeads.com was having a give-a-way last week for a lot of Swarovski crystals. A LOT of crystals. Like $150 worth of crystals. And I won!!!!!

So, if you were wondering what $150 worth of Swarovski crystals (from their new spring line) looks like, wonder no more!

I thought about taking them all out of the bags and taking a picture, but decided rather quickly that would be bad. Very bad. I did take a some pictures of a few of my favorites.

Also in the package (Which I really should have taken a picture of before I opened, it was pretty. But who can wait!) was a letter, giving me a coupon code good through 6/30/2012 good for 10% off any Artbeads.com purchase. Since the letter said I should share the code with friends and family, I am! So, feel free to use code ZZBFF should you be making a purchase at Artbeads.com between now and 6/30/2012.

I want to start off by thanking everyone for their wonderful comments! This give-a-way allowed me to get some great feedback on my patterns and which were working and which weren't. So, thank you.

We had 19 entries for the contest, and per Random.org the winner is....

Congratulations, Terri! Please email me at bysalla@gmail.com with your full name, mailing address, ring size, and the ring you want made (in case you changed your mind from what was in the comment). It will take me about a week to get the ring created and mailed (slightly longer if it involves resin). Once you receive the ring, send me a picture of you wearing it and I will post it here!

Again, thank you to everyone who commented. Stay tuned, I plan to host another give-a-way soon!

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

As promised, today I shall brag about something I made this past week. You have actually already seen it, in the group shot of most of my rings. (which I will repost, as I love this picture!)

There in the middle on the black ring stand is a small ring made from last week's pattern. I delayed the post because I wanted to take a separate picture of it alone, but that just didn't happen. So, here is a close up from the picture above.

I am really happy with the look of this ring, but I was having a few issues with the feel. Let me start this by explaining that I have learned to choose my beads very carefully when making a ring. I have learned the hard way to avoid any bead that has an applied finish to it. This unfortunately includes most metallic seed beads. I avoid these beads because rings take a lot of abuse. A lot of rubbing on the finger and on everything your hand comes into contact with. I have found that the applied finishes very quickly wear off on a ring, and your ring ends up looking like it has mange... lots of bare spots.

However, I really wanted this ring in silver so I did some looking and some research. I read some very good things about the Duracoat finishes. So, I ordered some Delicas with a silver Duracoat finish and made this ring. And the finish seems to be sticking! I have been wearing the ring nearly continously for a week (including during hand washing!) and have not seen any wear. However... when I first completed the ring, I noticed some scritchy bits. The Duracoat beads, some of them anyway, were not as smooth as I am used to. There were little bits where the coating had wrinkles and pointy bits (this was why I wanted the better picture - to try to capture this). I couldn't really feel these pointy bits while wearing the ring, but if I rubbed my other finger over the ring, it was there. Scritchiness.

My very hesitant solution was to rub the ring with some denim to lightly sand away the scritchy bits. I was hesitant because I was afraid of sanding away the whole finish! But, after some careful rubbing and inspecting, the ring is now much less scritchy and the finish seems to be intact. Woo and/or hoo!

So, my final impression of the Duracoat Delicas? This batch at least required a little extra finishing you don't normally see with beadwork, but if the finish lasts I say it is totally worth it!

Quote: When I'm working on a problem, I never think about beauty. I think only how to solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.
R. Buckminster Fuller (1895 - 1983)

Monday, March 26, 2012

So, due to some unforseen issues in my life, we will move the brag day to Wednesday this week, and today you will get a new ring pattern!

In honor of the unseasonably warm weather NE Kansas is seeing today, we have a pattern for a lovely butterfly. Spring is in the air!

If you haven't yet commented on this post, please do so before midnight CT Wednesday, 3/28, for a chance to win a custom ring made from any of the patterns I have posted on this blog! (including this one!)

Friday, March 23, 2012

So, some of you may have caught on already, but for those that haven't I will just say it.

I like rings.

I like rings a lot. Specifically, I like to design and make rings. Why? Mostly, because they are quick! I am a big fan of the instant gratification. But also, because of the challenge of creating something interesting on such a small canvas.

So, for my very first blog giva-a-way I have decided to give a ring. Made by me!

To enter, simply leave me a comment stating which of the many ring patterns I have posted in the past is your favorite and why. You can comment anytime between now and midnight CT on Wednesday March 28. Then on Friday, March 30, I will announce the winner (chosen by random number generator). For the winner, I will make them their favorite ring in the size of their choice! (If you already made your favorite yourself, just let me know which ring you would like me to make.)

So, start going back through the blog and find the ring you would like to have custom made just for you!UPDATE: To make things easier, here is a link that should pull up all the posts with ring patterns: Ring Patterns

Quote: A good friend will fit you like ring to finger.
Venezuelan Proverb

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

So, today we get another simple weave pattern. I tried complicated, but it isn't wanting to work for me yet. I will perservere! Maybe.... Things I am still trying to perservere on include a beaded ring with a hidden compartment and a beaded Klien bottle. However, I did conquer the beaded spinner ring, so hope remains!

I had planned to bead this up last night so that I could have a picture of the finished product today, however, after plunging my hand into a bowl of hot pasta(no, I don't know why I did it) beading really wasn't happening last night. Hopefully I will get it made tonight(cause I really do like this pattern and I have some new silver Delicas I want to use) and will post it tomorrow.

Also of note, the whole concept of posting a bunch of links every Friday.... well, it's not so much with the working for me. So, I will have to figure out a new plan for Fridays. No idea yet what it will be. Feel free to leave suggestions!

Quote: Basic research is what I am doing when I don't know what I am doing.
Wernher von Braun (1912 - 1977)

Monday, March 19, 2012

First, we have a cab ring. The cab used is resin. I took a small plastic button, made a mold of it using some two part putty, then did a resin pour with silver PearlEx mixed in. Next I used some stamp ink and a paint brush to highlight the design. Then I painted on a layer of clear resin to seal. Once cured, I did a closed back peyote bezel for the cab using some silver beads. Then I added a band using black beads.

The second ring I created has actually been in my head for a while. I am completely in love with the concept of spinner rings, but I don't have the setup to make one for myself out of metal. So, I have been playing with the idea of making one out of beads for a while. I was having a lot of trouble getting the flair or lip right, so that it would keep the inner ring on, but not stick too much into your finger. Well, this weekend I was contemplating making a Core Beaded Bead using a pattern I purchased a while back from Kerrie Slade. In the pattern she shows how to make a small core using tubular herringbone that flairs to lock into the center of the bead. EUREKA! with some minor changes, I finally had my beaded spinner ring! YAY! I was so thrilled, I even did my first video.... enjoy!

Monday, March 12, 2012

So, this past week I got to finish 2 kumihimo projects. First, I was pleased to discover that it is possible to work basic flat kumihimo on my round loom! I made a bracelet. All in black, but dressed up a little with some pink crystals on the clasp.

Next, I found a cupcake topper that was a cute daisy. I cut off the back post and glued on a bail to make a pendant. I then made a kumihimo cord using 1mm cotton cord in some spring colors.

For some good instructions on what to do if your resin has bubbles, visit this post on Resin Crafts.

And finally, for those of you who saw my necklace this week and said, "I don't normally like steampunk, put that is pretty!" Here is a video to give you a better idea of what steampunk SHOULD be (and to explain my joke about being unable to resist gluing on gears):

Monday, March 5, 2012

This weekend I completed a steampunk-esque necklace that I was making for my sister. The main part of the chain is kumihimo (Japanese braiding) with some antique copper beads. The endcaps for this section are made from vintage watch keys. This is contected by brass chain to a focal made from a lock plate (reproduction found in the scrapbooking section) with a vintage watch face and some gears glued on (I just couldn't resist gluing on the gears!). The focal is connected to the chain using two clasps. This means it can be removed and the chain can be turned around and worn by itself.

Friday, March 2, 2012

To start us off, we are saying goodbye to a legend. This week the world says farewell to Davy Jones.

After that, we may need a little cheering up, so we head to a completely hysterical post at Cake Wrecks.

Next we think about how names, proper or otherwise, have meaning by following the discussion over on Craftsy's Blog about what to call one who sews.

For tomorrow, you can hop on in to the 5th Bead Soup Blog Party. Even though I am not a participant this time around, I will definately be taking in all the lovely things created for this!

And finally, for the month of March Fusion Beads is celebrating National Crafts Month by having a 30 Day Bead Challenge that includes something new and crafty to do each day! I will participate in this sporatically as the mood strikes me, but they have some great ideas of crafty things you can do!